The present invention relates to sliding mechanical closures such as those commonly employed on flexible storage bags, particularly those suitable for use in the containment and protection of various items including perishable materials.
Flexible storage bags for use in the containment and protection of various items, as well as the preservation of perishable materials such as food items, are well known in the art. Such bags typically comprise a rectangular sheet of polymeric film folded upon itself and sealed along two edges to form a semi-enclosed container having two flexible opposed sidewalls, three sealed or folded edges, and one open edge. A closure integrally formed with the bag such as an interlocking rib-type seal or separately provided such as a plastic or paper-clad-wire tie completes the containment assembly.
As utilized herein, the term xe2x80x9cflexiblexe2x80x9d is utilized to refer to materials which are capable of being flexed or bent, especially repeatedly, such that they are pliant and yieldable in response to externally applied forces. Accordingly, xe2x80x9cflexiblexe2x80x9d is substantially opposite in meaning to the terms inflexible, rigid, or unyielding. Materials and structures which are flexible, therefore, may be altered in shape and structure to accommodate external forces and to conform to the shape of objects brought into contact with them without losing their integrity. Flexible storage bags of the foregoing variety are typically formed from polymeric film, such as polyethylene or other members of the polyolefin family, in thicknesses of between about 0.0002 inches to about 0.002 inches. Such films are frequently transparent but sometimes are opaque and/or colored.
Flexible storage bags of the currently commercially available variety provide a means of conveniently storing a wide range of objects and materials in a generally disposable containment device. Flexible storage bags with sliding mechanical closures have been developed to improve the ease of opening and closing mechanical interlocking seals. While such sliding mechanical closures have proven suitable for such uses, there remains the issue of consumer confidence that the sliding mechanical closure will resist inadvertent opening.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a sliding mechanical closure which provides for increased security against accidental opening.
The present invention provides a flexible storage bag having an opening, a mechanical interlocking seal for closing the opening, and a slider for sealing the mechanical interlocking seal. The slider includes a mechanical manually-releasable locking element for preventing accidental movement of the slider.
The locking element may comprise a pivotally releasable locking element, such as a pivotally mounted loop of material, or a button which when depressed releases an internal locking mechanism within the slider, or an internal locking mechanism within the slider which is released by manually compressing the slider.
Locking elements in accordance with the present invention may be automatically engaged and manually released by the consumer, or may be manually engaged and released. Locking elements may also secure the slider in other positions, such as opened and intermediate/partially opened positions, in addition to or instead of the closed position. Multiple locking elements may be provided of the same or diverse types.